Seven Owls Named to Hampshire Honor Society
4/12/2023 3:57:00 PM | Football
Most players honored in 17 years of the program
HOUSTON — A record seven Rice Owls are among 1,734 college football players honored on Wednesday by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame as members of the 2023 NFF Hampshire Honor Society.
Shea Baker, Sam Crawford, Ikenna Enechukwu, Wiley Green, Isaac Klarkowski, Trey Schuman and Christian VanSickle make up the largest class of Rice honorees in the 17 years of the program. Rice saw six team members honored in 2018.
Members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must have:
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 774 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
Six of the seven Owls completed their athletic careers while enrolled in Rice's MBA program, while the seventh (Klarkowski) will complete his studies in Mechanical Engineering this spring.
Baker was a two-time Academic All-District 7 selection and a five-time member of the C-USA honor roll. He was a team captain in 2022 and concluded his career with a school record 54 starts and 55 games played at center and guard.
Crawford came to Rice as a grad transfer from Tulsa where he totaled over 1,100 yards receiving on 114 receptions.
Enechukwu was a 2022 Academic All-District 7 selection in his third year as a starter, leading the team in total pressures and hurries.
Green is a four-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal and was a Rice Scholar-Athlete in 2021. He made 15 starts at quarterback while battling injuries during his career and was a team captain in 2022.
Klarkowski was a 2022 Academic All-District 7 honoree and a two-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Medal while working his way up from walk-on to starter at center.
Schuman was a three-time Academic All-District 7 selection and a five-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal as well as a two-time C-USA Football All-Academic team member. He was a two-time, team captain and a three-time winner of the James Glanville Award which goes to the football player who best combines excellence in academics and athletics.
VanSickle was a two-time member of the C-USA Honor Roll who handled all the Owls' placekicking duties the past two years after transferring from Elon.
Rice concludes its 2023 spring practice schedule on Saturday with the annual Blue-Gary Spring Game at 6 p.m. at Rice Stadium.
Shea Baker, Sam Crawford, Ikenna Enechukwu, Wiley Green, Isaac Klarkowski, Trey Schuman and Christian VanSickle make up the largest class of Rice honorees in the 17 years of the program. Rice saw six team members honored in 2018.
Members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must have:
- Completed their final year of playing eligibility in Fall 2022;
- Graduated players, who have remaining eligibility but will not return to collegiate play (e.g. declared for NFL Draft or retired from football), may also be nominated.
- Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale);
- Met all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress toward degree requirements; and
- Been starters or significant contributors throughout the 2021 season.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete program by greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year. The program further strengthens the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student-athletes at the 774 colleges and universities with football programs nationwide.
Six of the seven Owls completed their athletic careers while enrolled in Rice's MBA program, while the seventh (Klarkowski) will complete his studies in Mechanical Engineering this spring.
Baker was a two-time Academic All-District 7 selection and a five-time member of the C-USA honor roll. He was a team captain in 2022 and concluded his career with a school record 54 starts and 55 games played at center and guard.
Crawford came to Rice as a grad transfer from Tulsa where he totaled over 1,100 yards receiving on 114 receptions.
Enechukwu was a 2022 Academic All-District 7 selection in his third year as a starter, leading the team in total pressures and hurries.
Green is a four-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal and was a Rice Scholar-Athlete in 2021. He made 15 starts at quarterback while battling injuries during his career and was a team captain in 2022.
Klarkowski was a 2022 Academic All-District 7 honoree and a two-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Medal while working his way up from walk-on to starter at center.
Schuman was a three-time Academic All-District 7 selection and a five-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal as well as a two-time C-USA Football All-Academic team member. He was a two-time, team captain and a three-time winner of the James Glanville Award which goes to the football player who best combines excellence in academics and athletics.
VanSickle was a two-time member of the C-USA Honor Roll who handled all the Owls' placekicking duties the past two years after transferring from Elon.
Rice concludes its 2023 spring practice schedule on Saturday with the annual Blue-Gary Spring Game at 6 p.m. at Rice Stadium.
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